I’ve always enjoyed history, knowing we are a part of something extending beyond the here and now, one of the reasons I’ve gravitated toward fly fishing, intrigued with an endeavor dating back through the centuries. This morning, I’ve pulled one of my favorite flies from a bit of rippled foam glued to the inside of a tin holding a half-dozen wet flies. The little wisp of fur-and-feather is a pattern first tied back to the 1800s.
You can trace the history of wet flies by reading books written on the subject. Most are readily available at modest cost. Of course, you can learn about fishing with wet flies by surfing the Internet. There are whole sites dedicated to the subject, such as the International Brotherhood of the Flymph, but reading books first published more than a century ago is akin to going back in a Time Machine. It’s like sitting beside the authors, sharing their frustrations and joys while they explain how they solved the same puzzles we face when on our favorite river, stream or brook.
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